How the shoe finder works
No black box. Here is exactly what happens when you answer those eleven questions.
Every shoe is scored against your answers
The database holds current running shoes with the things that actually decide fit: category, support level, cushioning, weight, heel drop, stack height, toe box shape, which width fittings exist, whether the foam holds up under a heavier runner, how durable the outsole is, and price.
Your answers apply a set of rules to that data. Some rules add points, some take them away, and a few rule a shoe out entirely.
The rules that matter most
- Surface. Say trail and only trail shoes are considered. Say road and trail shoes are removed. Say a bit of both and the road-friendly trail shoes stay in.
- Width. Very wide feet push shoes with a genuine 4E fitting to the top. Anything with a narrow toe box drops out.
- Pronation. A noticeable roll inwards brings support shoes forward. No roll and neutral shoes are favoured instead.
- Weight. Over 90kg and soft, low-durability foams get marked down, because they pack out quickly and stop protecting you.
- Experience. New runners never get shown a carbon plated race shoe or a zero drop shoe, whatever else lines up.
- Budget. Anything above your ceiling is heavily penalised, and flagged if it still makes the list.
- Brands. Brands that have worked for you get a nudge up. Brands you pick as not working are removed completely.
Why you see three, not one
No algorithm knows how a shoe feels on your foot. Three gives you a shortlist to try on, and no more than two shoes come from the same brand so you are not looking at one company's catalogue.
How the data stays current
The shoe list lives in a spreadsheet that gets reviewed weekly. New models go in, discontinued ones come out, prices get checked.
Where the money comes from
Buy buttons are affiliate links, so a purchase may earn a commission. Commission rates are not an input to the scoring. A shoe that pays nothing can and does come out top.